Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She’s never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love–even with someone who seems an improbable choice–is more than just a possibility.
Where the Stars Still Shine picks things up from the first page, leaving readers to jump right into to Callie’s downward spiraling life. It’s done so in a way that doesn’t leave you breathless and muddled, wondering what you’ve been whisked into, but a smooth compound that happens to flow and compliment the story where it picks up. Diving into the story, things start to slow down pace-wise and the atmosphere was, even though gut-twisting, delivered in a concise way that I’m assuming was meant to be done to avoid a total ischemic attack from frustration on my part.
Against all odds, Callista’s limitless dedication to her mother was both parts ridiculous and heart-breaking. Where the Stars Still Shine had a way of playing with your heartstrings and leaving your mind a puddle of mess without any idea of what’s right and wrong. There’s so many different things to consider when reading Doller’s latest, and the incorporated play of trusting your gut and distinguishing what’s right from what one might want was extremely emotional. The father daughter relationship she has with Greg left me in tears for most of the duration of the novel and hit me right in the gut. There was so much raw emotion there between the two of them I could hardly stand it — in the best way.
Call’s relationship with Alex was one of the most surprising parts of the novel, for me. Yes, he is the talk of the town, and yes, he is seen as a “man whore”, but I honestly assumed that was the end of that and he’d be trouble that Callie would come across once and never go back to. I liked that Alex’s character kept proving me wrong and Callie spent the time to get to know him so we really did get to see between all the fault lines and understand just what it is that makes him tick. The bad vibe he gave would be enough to drive me off but Callie sticking around and uncovering all the lies was interesting to read about, even though all in all I still wasn’t a big fan. Besides these two, the other character personas, including Callie’s extended Greek family, we’re all so generous and memorable.
As Callie’s time in Florida begins, we see a girl who’s taken care of herself her whole life and as the story progresses, we see her adapting but not necessarily changing the little quirks about herself she always thought were normal. Even though she changes for the better(mostly), the small, and sometimes, big things that defined her as growing up a nomad stick around and while not reassuring at all, it proved realistic and goes to show that not everything we want is guaranteed in life.
Where the Stars Still Shine‘s ending is bittersweet and not everything I’d ask for, but enough. Things leave off on an optimistic note that’ll leave readers both satisfied and wondering what’s to come next on the road that lies ahead for Callie and the new life she’s finally allowing herself to have.
Anyone looking for a good read about a girl’s struggle to grasp normality when she’s never known it and embrace family when she’s never had any will love Trish Doller’s latest and will be anxiously awaiting her next.
Rating: 8/10
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You can officially pick up Where the Stars Still Shine September 24th, 2013!
**Thank you to Trish Doller and Bloomsbury Children’s for providing TYF with an ARC of Where the Stars Still Shine**
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